The Tattoo
by MegaFrameGuardian
Summary: Emony Dax wakes up on Qo'noS with a strange tattoo and the worst hangover of her life. Immediately after the events of "Will You Take My Hand", all hell has broken loose on the Klingon homeworld - can she escape with her life?
1. Chapter 1

**The Tattoo**

_Note: I saw the fan theory bouncing around the internet that the Trill we briefly see in "Will You Take My Hand?" is Emony Dax, third host of the Dax symbiont. I loved the idea and had to write this. Three parts, eventually including L'Rell and Voq._

Emony Dax wakes up in a ditch.

Her head feels like it took a point-blank hit from a disruptor and her mouth is desiccated. She is half-buried in a grey-brown dirt, leading her to feel overheated and freezing at the same time.

Wincing, she shakes her head, and the world seems to swim around her.

_Where the hell are we? _the hybrid entity wonders, examining her surroundings. There is a grey stone wall to one side of her, lit by weak sunlight filtered through a thick cloud layer.

_Qo'noS_, she thinks. _Shit. We shouldn't have had all that bloodwine_. She tries to recall the events of the night before. _We were at the final day of the Games_, she recalls, _and then there was that reception afterwards, or whatever. And we made a pact with the others to try bloodwine before we went back to Trill. _Her stomach turns at the thought of the acrid drink.

For a moment, she feels like she is about to vomit, but it passes. She moves her arms, unearthing them from the greyish dirt. It runs through her hands, and she wonders what it is.

Then she realizes that there is something wet under her back. Her eyes widen as she realizes where she is.

"No," she says weakly. "No!" In a panic tempered by nausea, she clambers out of the ditch and to the road above. She lies on her stomach on the cold stone, and her surroundings seem to swirl to catch up with her as if gravity was in flux. Her stomach clenches again, and she vomits into the ditch. Then she retches again at the sight of the semi-liquid brown trail she was lying in until very recently.

_How can the Klingons be the dominant species in this quadrant without having moved past open-air sewage?_ she wonders. The bracing Qo'noS morning chills her deeply, and an excruciating headache begins to set in like a Klingon blade in her skull.

"Ugh," she groans. "This is why Tobin didn't drink."

Eventually she sits up. She realizes she is still wearing the black tank top from the night before, now stained with grey dirt and other filth. She runs her hands through her short, dark hair, to find it thick with grime. She shivers in the dry Klingon wind.

Then she notices something. There is a dark oval on her chest. Curious, she touches the shape, and is startled as a set of brilliantly coloured wings stretch from the oval to her shoulders.

_Is this a tattoo? _she wonders. _Did we get a tattoo last night? What else did we do?_

She touches the tattoo one more time. "Well, it's nice work at least." Then she fumbles for her comm unit and flips it open.

"Dax to Tibar." She waits for a moment, then examines her Trill comm unit. "Tibar, are you there?"

Still nothing. "Dax to Kinura." With each second of silence, her heart rate increases. "Dax to Vanis. Dax to _anyone_."

Then she notices the silence. The Orion district had a carnivalesque atmosphere the day before, with the markets and gambling beginning early in the morning and continuing late into the night. Now there was no sound.

_Something's not right here. _She stands up queasily. "Run diagnostic."

"No connection possible," her communicator replies. "Possible signal dampener in effect."

"That's not good," Emony says in a low voice. She surveys her surroundings. She is in a narrow alleyway jutting off from a major thoroughfare, filled with garbage and surrounded by grey stone walls. _Apparently_, she thinks, _our drunken self thought this was a good place to call it a night._

Cautiously, she steps out of the alley to the road. There are a number of stalls open selling various goods, but there are neither merchants nor customers. In one stall, there is a creature she recognizes as a _lingta_. Nearly a meter tall, the animal has four wings, two serrated tusks coming from its mouth, and a covering of dark-coloured scales. It is eating from a cart of animal meats.

Across from the _lingta_, Emony sees a squat, hulking figure covered in a brown shawl. Edging around the corner, she sees that it is an elderly Klingon woman with grey skin and stringy white hair. She is taking jewellery from a kiosk.

Checking the street to ensure that it is otherwise empty, Emony steps out and approaches the Klingon woman, who turns to her. Her face is craggy and her eyes are wild.

"wej ghe' naDev," she wheezes.

"Hang on," Emony says, fumbling for her comm unit. Opening it, she says, "My name is Emony Dax. I'm here on an athletic exchange, and I'm looking for my companions. Can you help me?"

"You should not be here," the wizened Klingon repeats.

"What do you mean?" Emony inquires.

The woman grins with a mouth full of missing teeth, and points across the street. There is another _lingta _eating something. Emony shivers involuntarily when she realizes it is a dead body, an Orion.

"What's going on?" she asks the woman, her eyes wide. "Who did that?"

"The war has entered a new stage," the woman says in a high voice. "There are enemies on Qo'noS. All foreigners are suspect to the warrior caste."

"Okay, listen," Emony says urgently. "I'm a Trill. My people are neutral in your war with the Federation. Believe me, we are no threat to the Klingon Empire."

"They will find you," the woman says, her eyes wide. "They will feast upon your flesh."

"No. Just… look, I'm just trying to find my friends, alright?" She backs away. "I'm going to go find them now. Just forget I was here. I'm going to go."

The old woman cackles as Emony walks quickly down the road, trying to keep out of sight.

_No_, she thinks. _Tibar and the others are fine; the whole area's on lockdown for whatever reason. Our group was staying outside the Orion quarter. Whatever happens with the Klingons, it doesn't concern us, and we're just going to rejoin the others and quietly get off this planet_.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a dull roar on the horizon, increasing in intensity. The noise echoes off the stone buildings around her in a deafening haze of sound. Emony clutches her ears and ducks as two Klingon birds-of-prey streak through the sky above her. One is raining disruptor fire on the other. The second swerves to escape, and a disruptor burst strikes a building down the road from Emony. The building collapses in a cloud of thick dust.

She shakes her head. _That's probably normal traffic on Qo'noS. We're going to meet up with the group and everything is going to be fine_.

Eventually she passes the edge of the Orion district, and steps over the shattered wreckage of several Orion statues at the gates. The narrow streets beyond, once bustling with a diverse collection of inhabitants, are empty. The only sound is a dull roar in the distance, and Emony cannot tell whether it is from a storm or a battle.

_Okay_, she thinks, _this is not a good sign. But if it were us, we would want to leave this world as soon as we could_.

Cautiously, she makes her way to her hostel. It is a stone building, all rough slabs and jarring angles, seemingly wedged in a narrow space between the stone buildings surrounding it. Her stomach clenches when she notices the front door is wide open.

_No_, she thinks, a wave of nausea washing over her. _No. They're fine. We just need to go in there, find them, and get out of here._

Swallowing hard, she approaches the building and pushes the front door open. Cautiously, she enters the Klingon hostel. There is no one in the front chamber where the host had stood guard the day before.

_That's good, _she thinks. _Nobody's here. Maybe all the Klingons in this area were recalled for some reason. _

She enters the stairwell and climbs the jagged stairs to the third floor. Slowly, she leans her head out of the stairwell doorway and checks the corridor. It is empty.

As she draws near her team's room, she notices the thick wooden door is slightly ajar.

_Okay, _she thinks, _they may be gone. That makes sense. They probably have a plan to get off this world. But Tibar will have left me with instructions on how to find them. Everything is going to be alright._

She steps inside. Then she freezes.

The austere Klingon hostel chamber is splattered red with blood. Pieces of dismembered corpses are strewn about the chamber. There is a torso near her feet with a severed head nearby. The torso has a gaping hole where the heart should be. The head is partially split in half from the top down; there are pieces of brain on the stone floor. She recognizes the face as Tibar's.

Stunned, Emony backs against a stone wall and sinks to the ground. Overwhelmed by the stench of the bodies, she vomits on the floor.

There is a crash, and she jumps to her feet. Her eyes dart to a window at the far side of the room, which is open to the stone wall of a nearby building less than a meter away across a narrow alley. Then her attention fixates on a small, bloody object beneath the window. She recognizes it as the remains of a Trill symbiont, seemingly bitten in half.

Emony gasps, and tears run from her eyes. There are guttural voices in the corridor, growing louder, and she tries to move but is frozen as if in a dream. As they grow louder, she catches her breath and begins to edge toward the window, past the gruesome mess.

The door slams open and two Klingons enter. They wear black armour and their faces are adorned with red paint.

One of the Klingons bares his teeth in a twisted grin. "One of the aliens is still alive," he says, his voice rendered through the translator on Emony's comm unit.

"Perhaps this one has another delicious worm inside it," the second Klingon replies, drawing his _bat'leth_.

Her eyes wide, Emony dashes for the window. She grasps the craggy sill at the top of the window frame and leaps out feet first across the narrow alley. Her feet make contact with the building on the other side, and she jumps off it, landing on the rough stone of the ground in a roll.

"Ugh," she groans. She notices that the tattoo reactivated when she rolled. Its wings spread to her shoulders.

There is an explosion, and Emony narrowly rolls away as chunks of stone rain from above her.

_No_, she thinks. _After two full lifetimes, this is not how the Dax symbiont ends. _She scrambles to her feet and runs away as the Klingons leap from the hole in the wall and drop two stories to the ground.

"Where are you going, alien?" one of them calls to her. "Do you think you can hide anywhere on Qo'noS?"

Emony looks away from them and sprints into the road and around the corner. She hears the heavy footfalls of the Klingons behind her. Then she stops in her tracks as a disruptor bolt flashes past her, reducing a wall on the far side of the street to rubble.

Her heart pounds in her chest as she scans the open road. Then she bolts for the wreckage of the wall, diving behind a chunk of rock to avoid another disruptor blast from her pursuers. She dashes for the hole in the wall and vaults over the damaged rubble. Beyond the wall is a steep cliff face, and it takes all of her gymnastic training to jump from rock to rock without injuring herself on the way down.

There is a road on a lower level of the cliff, running along the edge of a deeper chasm. In one direction, she sees the wreckage of a Klingon aircraft blocking the roadway, still smoldering and belching black smoke. In the other direction, the road runs a few hundred meters before making a sharp left to a stone bridge partially surrounding by scaffolding. The bridge leads to the far side of the chasm, a densely urbanized area.

Emony sprints toward the bridge as the Klingons bellow and fire indiscriminately in her direction. She dives to her left and takes cover from the disruptor fire beneath the ledge of the bridge, amid the crudely-assembled Klingon scaffolding.

Gasping for breath, she runs as fast as she can along the bridge. Then there is a yellow shimmering, and three Klingon warriors appear on the bridge ahead of her, two men and a woman, all adorned with red war paint.

The female Klingon grins, drawing her _mek'leth_ as the others reach for their disruptors.

In a panic, Emony turns back, only to see the two Klingons who were pursuing her standing where the bridge meets the road.

"Like a cornered _p'tach_," one of the Klingons says. "We will purge the homeworld in the name of House Kor."

He reaches for his disruptor, then freezes. The end of a _bat'leth _bursts from his chest in a spray of pink blood. He falls to his knees, then slumps forward. Behind him is a large Klingon with golden skin and a shaved head, his _bat'leth _stained pink.

The second of Emony's pursuers glances at his dead comrade, then at the newcomer. He snarls, draws his _bat'leth_, and charges. The new warrior parries his attack, then brings his _bat'leth _up and decapitates his attacker in one swift movement. The Klingon's head falls to the road and bounces to the side and off the edge of the cliff.

"Who are you?" the female Klingon on the bridge inquires of the newcomer.

"I am Kang," he replies, "son of K'naiah. In the name of the High Chancellor L'Rell, you will stand down and surrender this alien to me."

The Klingon woman grins. "House Kor does not recognize the authority of your 'chancellor'. We will do as we please with the alien."

"Then you are fools," Kang tells her. "Our enemies have penetrated to the very heart of Qo'noS. The House of Kor will fall in line behind the one chosen by Kahless."

"We have received no such instruction from our superiors," she retorts. "Until then, stand aside or die, son of K'naiah." The two Klingons by her side draw their _bat'leths_.

Then the two male warriors charge at Kang while the female warrior rushes at Emony, brandishing her _mek'leth_. Kang steps forward to meet them. There is a resonant clang of metal as his _bat'leth _stops their blades.

Emony backs up against the ledge at the edge of the bridge. She casts a glance over her shoulder, at the metal poles and chains making up the scaffolding surrounding the bridge.

_It's just like the Rigelian Games_, she thinks as the Klingon charges toward her. With clammy palms, she pushes herself off the ledge and flips backwards over the edge. She grips a pole with both hands on her way down. As she hangs suspended, she immediately regrets glancing down as she comprehends the depth of the craggy river valley surrounding her.

_The top-scoring performance goes to Emony Dax_, she thinks, a wry expression on her face.

Then there is a flurry of movement, and the Klingon is standing on a horizontal metal bar near her, gripping a chain with one hand to steady her balance. She bares her fangs at Emony, then hurls her _mek'leth_.

Emony swings herself backward, but is grazed by the sword as it passes by her. Blood begins to spurt from her side, and she suppresses a scream.

Then she swings forward as the Klingon draws her disruptor. She leaps across the gap between them and grabs the chain on which the Klingon braces herself. It swings backward, dragging the warrior back. Lurched off balance, she falls off the bar and plunges into the river far below.

For a long moment, Emony clings to the chain and swings back and forth, struggling to control her breath.

_Okay_, she thinks. _We're alright. She's gone. Now, all we need to do is climb. We can do that._

Emony hesitates, then climbs up the chain to the ledge of the bridge. Then she swings toward it, grabs the ledge, and lifts herself onto the bridge.

As she catches her breath, she looks to the road behind her. Kang is locked in combat with two warriors. Each is on one side of them, but he parries their attacks with smooth movements of his _bat'leth_.

Kang glances toward her and their eyes meet. The warrior in front of him, seeing his apparent distraction, lunges toward Kang for a death blow. Kang draws his _bat'leth _upward, plunging it into the warrior's gut and stopping him in his tracks. Then Kang seizes the warrior's _bat'leth _and brings it toward the second warrior who is rapidly approaching him from behind, slashing his throat.

A silent moment passes between Emony and Kang. Then he says, "Come. This area is overrun by the troops of House Kor, and their allies in House Duras and House Kruge. I must take you to the capital. The chancellor will be able to arrange passage for you off of Qo'noS."

"My friends," Emony replies, her voice shaking. "My team. They… they killed everybody…"

"I know," Kang says. "We will return you to your world, and you will tell them that this was not done on the orders of the high chancellor of the Klingon Empire. That we protected you."

She eyes the Klingon. "Why?" she asks. "My people are no threat to you."

"The calculus of battle has changed," Kang says. "We can no longer afford to drive all species in this quadrant into the arms of the Federation."

Emony stares at him. "Okay. So how do we get to the capital?"

"I will take you. But first we must get to my ship, past many enemy patrols. I have heard that the scion of House Kor has taken personal command of this district. They say he is a braggart and a glutton, but unmatched on the field of battle."

"Alright," she says. "Well, we'd better get going then. Because I am not going to die today. Not here on this planet. That is not going to be the end of Dax."

"Then follow me," Kang replies.

"Just… one second." Emony turns to lean over the rail. She vomits over the edge, into the deep chasm.

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hold still," Kang says, taking a disruptor from one of the slain warriors.

Emony watches with alarm as he adjusts the setting on the weapon. "What are you doing?"

"Cauterizing your wound. Otherwise it will become infected. Qo'noS has many strains of aggressive bacteria."

"Yeah, they warned us about that. On my world, we have a thing called sanitation. Your people should try it."

Ignoring her, Kang draws an intricately crafted _d'k tagh_ and presents it to her. "Bite down on the hilt."

Emony regards the Klingon warily. Then she takes the dagger and puts the hilt in her mouth, still glaring at him. She raises her dirt-encrusted tank top to reveal a bloody gash above her hip.

Kang seizes her shoulder. He positions the disruptor centimeters from the wound and fires a short burst. Emony's scream is stifled as she clenches her teeth against the hilt of the dagger, and she struggles against Kang's iron grip as he fires a series of precise bursts to seal the wound.

Then he releases Emony, and she takes the dagger from her mouth and groans in agony.

"Shit," she spits through clenched teeth. "Is that what Klingons consider first aid?"

"Battlefield medicine," Kang tells her, sheathing his dagger. "If you were Klingon, I would have given you a measure of bloodwine first, to numb the pain."

"Well, do you have any?" she asks, clutching her side.

"Bloodwine?"

"Yeah."

Kang blinks. "I am carrying a flask."

"So give me some."

He stares at her for a moment, then pulls out a flask sculpted from black metal. "Bloodwine is a potent brew even for Klingon warriors –"

"Yeah, yeah," Emony interrupts, taking the flask. She opens it and takes a shot. "Hair of the dog."

With an expression of vague disdain, Kang takes the flask. "I am not familiar with that expression."

Emony wipes her mouth. "Human expression. My friend Leonard used to say it. It means you can't be hung over if you're drunk again." She climbs to her feet, shunning his attempts to help her. "So what's the plan, Kang? Are you really going to get me off this planet?"

"Yes." He begins to walk across the bridge to the dense urban area on the far side of the ravine. "On the orders of the High Chancellor. I am part of her diplomatic corps."

She follows him, wincing as she walks. "I didn't know there was a high chancellor."

"She is newly proclaimed," Kang says, not looking back. "She has fulfilled the call of T'Kuvma, to unite the Klingon Empire."

Emony looks back at the corpses behind them. "It doesn't seem very united."

"The other houses resist the truce with the Federation. But they will fall in line."

"Hang on," she says as she catches up to him. "Last I heard, a Klingon fleet was _en route _to obliterate Earth. Now you're telling me the war is over?"

"Not over. Changed. Into a new stage where open conflict would result in ruin for both sides." They reach the end of the bridge. At the far side, the road widens into a thoroughfare between craggy buildings. There is a small crowd of Klingons ahead of them, some haggling, others muscling their way through the throng. A Kolar beast is braying loudly in the center of the crowd. The hulking reptilian creature is strapped to a ramshackle anti-grav sledge carrying an assortment of blades. A merchant hawks the weapons to passers-by.

Emony edges behind Kang, out of sight to the crowd. "That's a lot of Klingons."

"Yes. But they will not harm you." Kang walks toward the crowd.

"How do you know?" she asks, following close behind him.

"Because I will protect you."

They enter the thoroughfare, passing Klingons young and old. Some are clad in warriors' armour, others in furs or rags. They stare at Emony as she passes by, and she averts her eyes.

"No offence," she whispers to Kang, "but you are just one guy, and you said there were enemy patrols around. Patrols. Plural."

"I will protect you," he repeats, "or else we will die warriors' deaths, and you can find me in Sto-vo-kor."

"Okay. Well, I'd really prefer it if that doesn't happen. So how far is it to your ship?"

"We will rendezvous with my companions on the outskirts of this district." Kang violently shoves a pair of adolescent Klingons out of his way as they reach a heavy iron fence. "The maglev will take us there."

Emony watches as Klingons pass one by one through a set of jagged turnstiles to the platform beyond. "We're taking _transit _to get there? That's your plan?"

"It is the fastest way. And in a crowded, confined space, our enemies lose their numerical advantage." Kang approaches a desk next to the turnstiles. A tall Klingon stands behind the desk, brandishing a disruptor rifle and staring at Emony.

Kang slams a handful of darseks on the desk. The Klingon eyes him disdainfully, then looks back at Emony. She edges backwards, readying herself to run.

Shoving the coins forward, Kang bares his teeth at the Klingon behind the desk. The Klingon growls, and they glare at each other for what seems to Emony like several minutes. Then, with an impatient expression, the Klingon takes the darseks and unlocks the turnstile.

Kang grabs Emony by the arm and hurries between the turnstile's blades. They emerge onto a long platform with a few dozen Klingons of various ages. There are several metal signposts around the platform with computer screens showing Klingon lettering. Beyond the platform is a long trench lined at the bottom by iron mesh.

"It's funny," Emony says to Kang, her voice tinged with anxiety. "My first host, Lela, was in charge of procurement for the planetary transit system on Trill. And it turns out that pretty much wherever you go, no matter what planet you're on, public transit is more or less the same." She casts a wary glance at a group of young warriors who are gesturing toward her and chortling loudly as they pass around a wineskin.

"Come over here, alien," one of them calls to her. He grins maliciously. "Let me welcome you to Qo'noS."

"Hold your tongue," Kang says to him in a low voice, "or I will cut it from your mouth."

The young warrior looks back at his companions and laughs. Then he staggers towards Kang, drawing his _d'k tagh_.

With a single fluid movement, Kang seizes the younger Klingon's wrist, causing him to drop the dagger, and takes his head and slams it against a signpost. There is a spray of blood and the warrior crumples. His companions cease chortling and back away.

With a heavy gust of air, a bulky maglev train pulls up to the platform. There are five cars, all built from heavy, scarred metal painted black and dark red, emblazoned with the emblem of the Klingon Empire. Kang guides Emony into the second car from the front, through an open doorway with no doors. The interior of the car is crowded, obstructing Emony's view in almost every direction. She is wedged between Kang and a Klingon woman wearing rough furs with two young children at her side. Past the children, Emony sees a heavily built Klingon bump into a tall, wiry warrior with pale grey skin and a shaved head. They glare at each other, and the tall warrior grabs the other Klingon as he reaches for his weapon. He throws him through the doorway, and the Klingon hits a passing building with a sickening crunch.

Emony flinches. "I thought rush hour in the Trill capital city was rough."

"Pay them no attention," Kang says over the roar of the air gusting past the doorways.

Emony glances back to see the pale Klingon staring at her. He narrows his eyes and grins. "What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?"

"Uh…" Emony stammers, nudging Kang urgently.

"Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to-night," the pale Klingon says, drawing a _mek'leth _in each hand, "for she shall not live."

Kang sees the pale warrior and grips Emony urgently. "We must go. Now."

Emony slips between a pair of Klingons standing next to her, and Kang follows close behind, _bat'leth _drawn.

"But swords I smile at," the warrior says, pushing aside other passengers as he follows them, "weapons laugh to scorn."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Emony shouts to Kang as she weaves between irate Klingons.

"His name is Chang," Kang calls to her as he elbows his way through the crowd. "We fought together against the Federation at Archanis. He is a follower of the warrior-poet Naq'jej, who traveled back in time to conquer primitive Earth. But instead, he became their greatest playwright."

Emony reaches the doorway at the end of the car, which is open to a gap between the two trains perhaps a meter across, with a heavy chain between the cars. "What?" she asks incredulously. "Did the humans not realize he was an alien?"

"Now is not the time to discuss this," Kang says.

Emony glances at the gap, then looks back to see Chang pushing though the crowd close behind them, murderous intent in his eyes. Then she leaps to the next car, landing on her toes between the wall and an elderly Klingon standing near the open doorway, gripping a crossbar. Kang steps across behind her, bumping the elderly Klingon who falls backward into a young warrior. The warrior stumbles forward and knocks an open mug of bloodwine held by a much larger Klingon. The big Klingon looks down at the bloodwine spilled on his furs, then seizes the other warrior and headbutts him in the face.

A brawl breaks out among the passengers, impeding Chang's path as Kang guides Emony through the train car. "Did your human friend Leonard not read you verses of the Earth poet Shakespeare?"

"We didn't have the kind of relationship where we talked much about literature," Emony replies, jumping across another gap to the next car. "Or at all."

The train stops and the majority of passengers disembark. Kang's eyes scan the car, and he freezes and grips his _bat'leth_. Emony turns to look past Kang, and sees Chang standing at the far end of the car, holding his two _mek'leths _in front of him and grinning.

"Hark, villains!" He approaches them, spinning his _mek'leths _as the remaining passengers draw their _d'k taghs _to form a ring of blades around Chang, Kang, and Emony. "I will grind your bones to dust. And with your blood and it I'll make a paste. And of the paste a coffin I will rear…"

Kang takes a swing at Chang with his _bat'leth_. Chang parries the blow with his swords, driving Kang's weapon to the side and kneeing him in the gut. Kang gasps, then rams into Chang with his shoulder, knocking him backwards so that his head grazes one of the passenger's daggers.

Chang touches his cheek and wipes away a drop of blood. "Prick us, do we not bleed?" He advances on Kang, raining blows with his swords which Kang struggles to parry. "Wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

"Stand down, Chang, in the name of the high chancellor," Kang says over the clang of metal on metal.

Chang grins as he clashes his swords against Kang's. "Not today, Kang. Your chancellor is wrong to relent in this war. T'Kuvma himself said that the Federation is an existential threat. We must destroy them, no matter the cost."

Kang lunges with his _bat'leth_, driving Chang back toward the open doorway. Chang catches Kang's weapon between his _mek'leths_. Grinning, he pulls backwards, tearing the _bat'leth _from Kang's hands and sending it clattering to the floor of the train car, near Emony's feet. Kang charges at Chang to push him through the doorway, but Chang strikes him hard in the face with the hilt of his _mek'leth_, splattering pink blood on nearby passengers. Then Chang spins his _mek'leth _in his other hand and plunges it into Kang's back, impaling him, and drives it into the metal floor below.

"Kang!" Emony shrieks.

"By the pricking of my thumbs," Chang says, baring his teeth at Emony and brandishing his remaining sword, "something wicked this way comes."

"Shit shit shit," Emony swears as the passengers turn their knives on her and advance alongside Chang. Frantically, she turns to face the open doorway behind her. Her eyes land on the crossbar that runs along the top of the doorway.

Chang slashes his sword as Emony bolts for the doorway. She leaps and grabs the crossbar and swings feetfirst into the gusting air outside the car. Twisting her body, she lets the wind blow her back and upward, causing her to land hard on the roof of the car. Still gripping the crossbar with one hand, she presses her body to the roof to avoid the full force of the rushing air. With her other hand, she grabs a thick cable running along the roof of the car.

Two gloved hands grip the edge of the roof from below. Emony clambers forward against the wind, gripping the cable tightly as Chang hoists himself onto the roof. Jagged industrial structures seem to fly past them on both sides of the train.

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!" Chang calls above the rushing wind. Drawing his _mek'leth_, he crawls forward in pursuit of Emony. "Rage! Blow!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Struggling against the wind, Emony reaches her hand ahead of her and grips the front of the car. She pulls herself forward and grips the front edge with both hands as the train suddenly comes to a stop. Using her momentum, she vaults herself through the back door of the train car ahead of her, landing hard on her hands and knees inside the car.

Groaning in pain, Emony looks up to see the mother and two children she had seen earlier. They point their daggers at her and grin malevolently.

"You have got to be kidding me," she mutters. She stands and whirls around, only to see that Chang is already in the car behind her, _mek'leth _drawn.

"These violent delights have violent ends," Chang grins.

Then a hand grips Chang's shoulder and spins him around. Kang is standing behind him, _d'k tagh _held high, his armour stained pink with blood around the blade that still impales him. He plunges the dagger into Chang's eye. Howling in pain, Chang crumples to the ground.

Emony gazes at Kang in shock as he lurches to one side, steadying himself against the frame of the doorway. "Come," he says through clenched teeth. "This is our stop."

Then he stumbles through the doorway to the empty platform beyond. Emony rushes to his side as he falls to his knees.

"How are you still alive?" she asks incredulously.

"We Klingons are not as fragile as you," Kang says in a low voice. He grips the blade protruding from his abdomen. "Help me."

She goes behind Kang and grips the hilt of the _mek'leth_. Kang roars as they pull the sword out of his body. Emony removes a leather sash draped over Kang's shoulder, folds it, and wraps it around his midsection to absorb the flow of blood.

"Do not waste your time with me," Kang says, gesturing weakly to an elevated landing pad in the sparse, rusted industrial zone beyond the train stop. "My companions will be there. Go. I will only slow you down."

Emony pulls the makeshift bandage tight, looping the ends into each other in a crude knot. "Nope. You are coming with me." She takes his arm across his shoulder and helps him stand, stumbling under the Klingon's weight. "Wow, you are heavy."

Kang groans as the pair stumble across the crumbling concrete. "You are… an obstinate creature…" he manages.

"Thanks. You look like you could use some bloodwine. Got any more?"

Kang nods and weakly grasps for the flask on his hip. Emony takes it from him and helps him take a drink. Then she takes a swig and closes the flask. "So tell me about these companions of yours."

"Deadly warriors," he grunts, "and… the greatest of companions…"

He is drowned out by the sudden roar of an engine. There is a shimmering and a small Klingon patrol craft decloaks on the pad. It has a compact cylindrical frame with two upswept wings. The wings lower into a horizontal configuration as the aircraft lifts into the air and flies in their direction. Emony shields her eyes as dust is swept up from all around her. A hatch opens on the underside of the ship's cabin and a female Klingon descends on a cable.

"Kang!" she shouts, extending her hand. Kang reaches up, and they grip each other's forearms tightly.

"We must hurry," the Klingon says to Emony. The cable begins to retract, and Emony grips its end and is pulled with the two Klingons into the craft.

Inside is a tight cockpit with four seats. Another Klingon sits at the helm, piloting the ship into the air away from the industrial yard. Both of the new Klingons have skin the colour of copper, with similar forehead ridges. The female's face is adorned with thick white eye shadow.

"Sorry we're late," Emony says. "The commute was murder."

"I am grateful that you brought him back alive." The female Klingon regards her warmly. "We will take you to the capitol and help you return to your people. My name is Mara."

"Emony Dax," she replies. "Will he be alright?"

"Yes. There is a triage unit in the armory. He will be fine with some medical treatment." Mara gazes into Kang's eyes. "And a healthy dose of _par'mach_," she adds, grinning at him with bared teeth.

Kang chuckles weakly but lustily as Mara helps him to his feet and guides him through a door at the rear of the cabin. Mara says to Emony, "Can you help pilot the ship?"

"Well, I mean, no, but if you're having any trouble with your phase coil inverters, I can definitely help you with that, because my previous host Tobin…" She trails off when she realizes Mara is ignoring her, and watches with mild horror as Mara and Kang, leering and biting at each other playfully, enter the small armory room and shut the door behind them.

"Okay," she says. "Guess I'll help pilot the ship."

Emony takes a seat at the front of the cockpit. She glances first at the unfamiliar controls and then at the male Klingon seated next to her.

"I am Koloth," he says, not looking at her.

"Hi. I'm Emony." When Koloth does not reply, she adds, "So you're, um… a friend of Kang's?"

"Kang is my blood brother, and the _par'machai _of my sister." He maintains his concentration on piloting the ship through the dense clouds.

"Uh-huh." Emony tries to ignore the shouting and thumping from the armory. "Bet that's a bit awkward sometimes."

Koloth says nothing.

_Okay_, Emony mouths as she focuses her attention on the console in front of her. She is startled when a red light begins to flash, accompanied by a harsh klaxon.

"What is that?" she asks.

"It means we are too late," Koloth says, his face betraying no emotion. "He is here."

"Who?"

He looks at her for the first time, raising his eyebrows and grinning ominously. "Kor."

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

As the small Klingon aircraft weaves between disused industrial spires, the serrated wings of a bird-of-prey emerge from the thick grey clouds.

Inside the cockpit, a light flashes on Emony's console. "I think they're hailing us," she tells Koloth.

"Put him through."

Emony opens the channel. Koloth says, "My dear Kor."

"My dear Koloth," a voice drawls over the comm. "How long has it been, my good friend?"

"Since we celebrated the Kot'baval festival on H'atoria," Koloth replies angrily. "You implied that my ancestors were peasants and offered to give me a job cleaning your stables. I would have killed you then, but you were so drunk that there would have been no honour in it."

"Yes, yes, that does sound like something I might do," Kor replies. "Do not take it as an affront to your honour, Koloth. I do not wish you ill. Give me the alien, and I'll be on my way. You can see that you are hopelessly outmatched."

"Why do you want this alien?" Koloth demands. "It is no threat to you."

"Come with me to my estate sometime and come hunting with me. You will see that I never rest until I have caught my quarry. What do you care about the fate of this alien?"

"The alien means nothing to me," Koloth replies, eliciting an incredulous glare from Emony. "What matters to me is my honour, which compels me to execute the orders of the High Chancellor. _Our _high chancellor."

"You cannot possibly be taken in by this usurper and her idle threats," Kor scoffs. "Her house has no honour. And she is a _female_."

"She is blood-kin of T'Kuvma! His rightful heir!" Koloth shouts.

"She is an enemy of House Kor!"

"I will execute her orders," Koloth repeats, "or I will die trying."

"Then you are my enemy as well," Kor growls, ending the transmission.

Emony glances at Koloth. "What now?"

Koloth grips the helm controls and stares forward grimly. "Strap yourself in."

Then he banks the ship hard, narrowly avoiding an exploding torpedo from the bird-of-prey, and pilots the ship into a narrow space between two massive warehouses. Emony fastens her safety harness clumsily as they speed through the narrow passage between stone walls.

There are flashes of light as the bird-of-prey rains disruptor fire on the buildings. Slabs of masonry fall around them as Koloth takes the ship lower.

"He's just firing on an inhabited area?" Emony asks, her heart pounding.

"Much of this district is owned by House Kor," Koloth replies as they emerge from between the buildings. "At worst, he will face a tongue-lashing from his uncle Kol-Sha."

Disruptor bursts crackle through the air as Koloth guides the ship under a heavy stone aqueduct which runs through a desolate field gouged by strip mines. Keeping the ship low, he follows the length of the structure until it curves toward the left. Then he leaves the cover of the aqueduct and aims the ship at an immense cliff, over half a kilometer high, and sets the engines to full burn.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Emony screams as the cliff face fills their field of vision. With a slight grin, Koloth pulls the ship into a rapid climb, mere meters from the cliff face.

"We have nearly reached the capitol," Koloth shouts over the roar of the engine as they soar past the top of the cliff into the cloud-choked sky. "Kor is a vainglorious _p'tach_, but even he would not dare to –"

There is a deafening crash and they are thrown violently forward in their seats as a disruptor burst obliterates one of the ship's wings. Klaxons blare and smoke pours into the cabin. Coughing, Emony slams her hand against her nonresponsive controls. "I've lost power!"

Saying nothing, Koloth aims the ship at a gnarled thicket of trees in the distance. Emony vomits in her mouth as the g-forces press her back against her chair.

Then the klaxons are drowned out by the screech of tearing metal. The ship is shredded by serrated leaves as it crashes through the tangle of heavy wood. As it comes to a stop, a branch crashes through the front window. Its bladed leaves come to a rest mere centimeters from Emony's throat.

For a moment she is frozen and it seems like the only sound is her breathing. With shaking hands, she releases the safety harness and edges carefully from her chair.

Then Koloth groans, and she rushes to his side to helps him up from his shattered chair. "Hey. Easy, buddy. We're alright."

Koloth climbs to his feet. "We should be in the imperial hunting gardens," he says, wiping blood from the side of his head. "The Great Hall is not far from here."

He stumbles to the back of the cockpit, where smoke pours from behind the twisted remains of the door to the armory. Gripping it tightly, he rips it from its frame. Mara and Kang emerge from the thick black smoke, coughing violently.

Mara puts her hand on Koloth's shoulder to steady herself. "What happened?"

As Koloth describes their situation to Mara and Kang, Emony wanders across the cockpit to the rear starboard station. Hazy daylight filters through a breach in the bulkhead. Gingerly, she approaches the breach and looks out, then recoils immediately.

"We are really high up," she announces, gripping a nearby console tightly. "In the biggest tree I've ever seen."

Kang looks over as Koloth and Mara open a locker and retrieve a set of blades. "Can you see any way to climb down?"

"I'll look again, just… one sec." Taking a deep breath, Emony approaches the breach again and puts her head through.

She is surrounded by the branches of an impossibly large tree with silver leaves and black bark. The ship is entangled at the end of a thick branch that stretches ahead of her to the tree's gnarled trunk. Below her, she sees more branches going down dozens of meters, with the ground barely visible under a low-hanging mist.

A sudden movement catches her eye, and she looks back at the branch in front of her. A small creature is perched on the branches above her. It has a grey exoskeleton, with long, spindly arms and legs, hook-like claws, and a barbed tail. It cocks its bone-crested head and clicks its mandibles, seeming to stare at her with its eyeless sockets.

Emony darts her head back into the cockpit. "There is a… thing… out there. I can't tell if it's a crustacean or some kind of primate. It's…" she glances out again, and the creature hisses. She screams and dives away from the breach as the animal leaps down toward her. As it clambers into the cockpit, Mara swings her _mek'leth _and cuts it in half.

"A _lomqa'Sor_," she says. "A predator native to the old forests of Qo'noS. But they usually…"

She is interrupted by the sound of screeching metal as the ship lurches downward.

"We must get out of here," Koloth says urgently, striding towards the breach.

"They usually hunt in packs," Mara tells him.

"I know," Koloth replies, gripping his _bat'leth_.

"Wait," Emony says. "It's a dangerous climb. Let me go first; I'm the lightest. Once I get out, I can help you."

Koloth regards her with an inscrutable expression. "Very well."

_What the hell are we thinking_, Emony wonders as she walks past the Klingons and climbs headfirst through the hull breach. Slightly above her head is a slender branch. She grabs it and lifts herself out of the wrecked ship, then steps gingerly onto the hull. Gripping the branch with both hands, she walks carefully along the hull of the wrecked ship until she can pull herself onto a sturdier branch.

"Got it," she calls to the Klingons. "I'm out."

Koloth climbs out next, _bat'leth _slung across his back. The ship groans as he steadies himself against the thin branch and makes his way to Emony's position. As he takes her hand, she hears the clicking of mandibles all around her.

"Oh shit," Emony says.

The branch shakes as hissing _lomqa'Sor _leap onto it from all directions. Koloth stands up on the branch and draws his _bat'leth _in time to decapitate one of the creatures as it lunges at him. He spins his blade in a wide arc, striking down the _lomqa'Sor _as they charge at him. Then the ship lists downward again, causing the branch to shake. The _lomqa'Sor _draw back toward the tree's trunk.

"Hurry!" Emony calls as Mara climbs toward her, with Kang close behind her. The groaning of the ship's wrecked hull becomes a screech, and it drops from beneath their feet just as Mara reaches Emony. She hangs onto the thick branch, and Kang grabs her legs at the last moment as the ship plunges downward and crashes through the branches below until it breaks into pieces.

Emony and Koloth help Mara and Kang climb onto the branch. Seeing the pack of approaching predators, Mara holds out her hand. "Do not move," she says in a low voice. "The _lomqa'Sor_ are blind. They track their prey through vibrations in the tree branches."

Emony freezes, watching the animals warily. "Alright," she whispers, "but how do we get down? They're between us and the trunk."

"We will have to fight through them," Koloth says, wiping the _lomqa'Sor _blood from his blade.

"Are you nuts?" Emony retorts. "There are like _fifty _of them."

"She is right," Kang says. "We cannot defeat them in their own habitat."

Koloth turns to Kang. "What is our alternative?"

Emony looks at a nearby tangle of branches. "Wait. If they hunt based on vibrations in the tree, what if someone was to go to another branch and make a lot of noise?"

Koloth peers at her. "Who could get to another branch?"

"I could. I'm a trained gymnast."

"You could use those skills to reach the ground while we attack the _lomqa'Sor_. And die in glorious battle."

"Not a chance," she snaps. "You know full well I cannot survive on this planet without your help. If you really want to accomplish your mission, you will let me do this."

Koloth glares at her. "Who are you, that you dare speak to a Klingon warrior –"

"Brother." Mara puts her hand on Koloth's shoulder. Koloth's withering gaze gives way to a resigned snarl. "Very well."

"Thank you for being reasonable." Emony sizes up the distance to the nearest branch as she tears strips from the bottom of her tank top and wraps them around her palms. "Alright. I'm going to do this." She hesitates. "Anyone have any bloodwine left?"

Mara passes her a flask, regarding her with an amused expression. Emony takes a shot and then quietly stands up. _Here we go_, she thinks.

Then she leaps across the gap and grabs hold of a branch several meters away. Using her momentum, she swings across another open space, reaching for a cluster of branches further from the Klingons.

Her hands close on empty air, missing the branch by centimeters. Her heart freezes in her chest as she experiences a moment of pure terror. She screams as she falls freely.

Then, with a frantic effort, she grasps a lower branch with one hand. Her weight brings the bough downward until she is hanging by one hand on the thin twig, its metallic leaves nearly in her face. She sees the _lomqa'Sor _converge on her position, attracted by the metallic rustling of the leaves. Beyond them, the Klingons move quickly toward the tree trunk.

_Not today, crab-monkeys_, Emony thinks. _This is not how the Dax symbiont dies._

As the _lomqa'Sor _climb onto the thin branch from which she hangs, Emony casts a glance downward. Then she swings to one side and lets go of the branch. The bough springs back upward, scattering the _lomqa'Sor_ as Emony lands hard on a thick limb and wraps her arms and legs around it to keep from falling.

As the creatures leap after her, Emony climbs to her feet and jumps to a lower branch, then another below that, until she is close enough to jump to the tree trunk. She clambers down its knobby bark until she reaches the ground below, the _lomqa'Sor _close behind her.

The Klingons are waiting for her, weapons drawn. Emony runs from the tree into the scrubby clearing, and they position themselves around her as dozens of _lomqa'Sor _drop to the ground and approach them, hissing.

"Perhaps today is a good day to die," Kang says.

The _lomqa'Sor _charge toward them, then stop in their tracks as a glob of acid shoots from a dense bush nearby and dissolves several of them.

The creatures hiss warily as the bush is wracked by a violent rustling. Then, with a roar, a monstrous creature bursts forth. Standing on four thick legs, it is nearly five meters tall and covered by a chitinous plating, with four arms ending in scythe-like blades over a meter and a half long. Its mouth is lined with serrated teeth, and jagged tusks jut forward from its jaw.

"A saber-bear," Kang marvels.

With a deafening bellow, the saber-bear charges at the _lomqa'Sor_, dispatching six of them with a swing of its blades. Hissing, the _lomqa'Sor _rush at the massive creature and swarm over it, seeking a vulnerable gap in its exoskeleton. The saber-bear thrashes around, shaking them loose and crushing them.

"Come," Kang says. "We will let nature take its course."

Emony follows him along a rough path leading deeper into the forest. Mara and Koloth follow suit, watching over their shoulders as the embattled saber-bear gores a pair of _lomqa'Sor _on its tusks.

As they walk briskly through the dense woods, Kang says to Emony, "It took great courage to do what you did. You have my gratitude and that of my companions."

"Yeah, well, likewise," Emony replies. "Is all the wildlife on your planet quite so… murdery?"

"On Qo'noS, only the strong survive," Kang tells her.

Eventually they emerge into another clearing, ringed by thick bushes and the trunks of enormous trees. In the center of the clearing is a booth made of worn metal, with a console inside.

"This transporter unit can take us to the Great Hall," Koloth says. "I will enter my command codes."

"Looks like it can only take us there one at a time," Emony observes as Koloth enters the booth and accesses the control panel.

"This transporter is nearly a century old," Mara says. "It is crude, but should still work."

"Let us find out," says Koloth. "Energizing."

He dissolves in a glow of golden light. Mara steps to the booth and accesses the terminal.

"The transport was a success," she says to Emony and Kang. To the transporter, she says, "_jol yIchu_'!"

As she vanishes, Emony turns to Kang. "Guess I'll go next."

She approaches the booth, then dives to one side as a bolt of green light streaks from behind her and obliterates the transporter unit in a fiery explosion.

Emony turns to see a Klingon holding a disruptor pistol and grinning. He is bald, with dark grey skin adorned with red war paint, and wears black armour, a baldric bedecked with medals, and a cloak of furs.

"This hunting ground has been enjoyed for centuries by great leaders and warriors. It is fitting that I end my hunt here," he says in a familiar voice. He glances at Kang. "Ah. The son of K'naiah. I have heard tell of your deeds. It is an honour to meet you."

"Stand down, Kor," Kang warns, drawing his _bat'leth_, "or prepare to die."

"Is that the calibre of weaponry your 'chancellor' gives her lackeys?" Kor asks derisively, tossing his disruptor to the ground and drawing a gleaming six-bladed _bat'leth _from under his cloak. "Come serve House Kor. We ensure that our warriors are properly armed."

"Even if you kill me, you cannot escape the tide of history. The Empire is stronger united."

"You are as obstinate and misguided as your friend Koloth," Kor spits. Spinning his _bat'leth_ in his hands, he advances on Kang.

"Run!" Kang shouts at Emony as he raises his _bat'leth _and holds it in a defensive stance, his eyes on Kor. Emony dashes for the woods, hearing the clash of metal echoing through the clearing behind her as Kang parries Kor's first flurry of blows. Kang drives his _bat'leth _upward to try to force Kor's larger weapon up and out of his grip, but Kor kicks him hard in the gut, pushing him back. Kor strides forward and takes a heavy swing at Kang with his _bat'leth_. Kang deflects the blow and strikes Kor hard in the jaw with his elbow, causing him to stagger backward.

"I am impressed," Kor grins, spitting blood. "I see that you are well-versed in the _mok'bara _forms."

Kang circles Kor warily. "And you as well. No doubt thanks to the tutors retained by your family."

"You cannot deny that they did their job well," Kor taunts him, whirling his _batl'leth_ between his hands.

Emony watches as the two Klingons exchange blows again. As Kang drives Kor backward across the clearing, a glint of metal on the ground catches her eye.

_His gun, _she thinks. _If we can get to it without Kor seeing us…_

She begins to crawl through the tangled undergrowth at the clearing's edge. Sharp branches tear at her bare shoulders and arms, but she makes her way forward, her attention focused on Kang and Kor, who are locked in a whirling dance of steel.

Kang slashes low, but Kor jumps in the air and brings his _bat'leth _in a downward slash. Kang dodges to the side, and Kor's blade grazes his shoulder, slicing through his armour and drawing blood. Grunting with pain, Kang brings his _bat'leth _down hard and clashes against Kor's. He attacks Kor furiously, but Kor deflects his blows with a flourish of his _bat'leth_, using Kang's own momentum to knock him off balance. Emony suppresses a gasp as Kang almost falls to the ground before stumbling back into a defensive stance.

"The _Shii-Cho _form." Kang bares his teeth, nearly grinning. "I was not expecting that. Then you are familiar with the work of Master Hurgh'vav."

Kor nods. "The most underappreciated of all the Classical-era masters."

"Yes," Kang says emphatically. "I have always said so, and no one agrees."

"Then they are fools!"

_Are they becoming friends? _Emony wonders as she edges through the brush closer to the disruptor pistol.

Kang relaxes slightly. Kor comes in with a fast stab to exploit this apparent lapse, but Kang is ready for him. He brings his weapon up to catch Kor's _bat'leth _between two of its blades, then twists it to one side, nearly tearing the weapon from Kor's hands. Then Kang lands a hard kick to Kor's solar plexus, and he staggers backward, struggling to parry Kang's unrelenting attack. Their blades clash together, and they stare into each other's eyes for a moment, _bat'leths _locked.

Then, with a roar, Kang summons all his strength to shove Kor backwards off his feet. He crashes to the ground, and Kang stands over him and brings his blade down. Desperately, Kor swings his _bat'leth _upward to parry Kang's blow.

His blade crashes into Kang's, breaking it in two.

To Emony, everything seems to be frozen for a moment as Kang looks at the broken halves of his _bat'leth _with disbelief. Then, with a derisive laugh, Kor leaps to his feet and comes at Kang with renewed aggression, knocking the shards from Kang's hand. Emony rushes from the underbrush toward the disruptor as Kor headbutts Kang, stunning him and knocking to the ground. Kor bellows and raises his blade for the death blow.

"Drop it!" Emony shrieks, pointing the disruptor pistol at Kor with shaking hands.

Kor turns and smiles malevolently. "Very good. I am surprised to see you have returned – perhaps I underestimated your spirit. What is your name, alien?"

"I said drop your weapon! So help me, I will shoot you!"

With a bemused look, Kor tosses his _bat'leth _to the ground.

"Emony Dax," she shouts. "That's my name. And I am a sentient being, god damn it! I do _not _deserve to be hunted like some animal!" She takes a heavy, shaking breath. "I _hate _this planet! It is disgusting and polluted and everything here is trying to kill me. And I hate your so-called 'society', with its bullshit honour system and just _pointless_ brutality at every step. And more than anything else, I hate your attitude toward people who are different than you. I am a _person_! I just want to live my fucking life!" The gun shakes in her hand, and there are tears in her eyes. "Is that too much to ask?"

"Why don't you give me my weapon back, and we will talk about this." Kor takes a few steps toward her, hand outstretched, and she steps back. Suddenly, he draws a dagger and charges at her.

She pulls the trigger. With a green flash, the disruptor bolt strikes him in the ribs.

Kor falls backward to the ground, moaning in pain. Weakly, he puts his hand into the melted remains of his armour, then pulls it out and examines his bloody fingers. Then he begins to laugh.

"This armour was worth every _darsek_, it seems." Kor looks at Emony, coughing up blood. "It appears I am beaten. I will not forget the name Dax."

Still training the gun on him, Emony edges past him to Kang's side. She takes his shoulder and shakes him. He groans and his eyes flutter open.

Then the clearing is illuminated by an orange glow. Mara and Koloth materialize, disruptor rifles in hand, alongside a bearded human and a green-skinned Klingon woman with a scarred face and fine fur robes over her armour.

"Kang!" Mara rushes to her mate's side and takes his hand. Kang groans and sits up.

Koloth eyes Kor. "Is this your doing?" he asks Emony.

She looks up at him. "Are you surprised?"

"Perhaps I shouldn't be."

"Kor, son of Rynar." The woman draws an ornate _mek'leth _and approaches the fallen warrior.

"Ah, the 'high chancellor,'" Kor wheezes. "Come to finish this alien's work, L'Rell?"

"Unlike you, I would not dishonour myself by slaying a helpless creature," L'Rell retorts.

"Who are you to speak to me about honour?" Kor spits. "You, with your Federation weapon, and your human pet. Who capitulates to our enemies at our very hour of victory!"

"The Federation has technology we do not understand! Though I control this weapon, if we destroy their homeworlds, they will most certainly destroy ours. Kahless himself said, 'Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat.'"

"Do not quote Kahless to justify your surrender!"

L'Rell glares down at Kor. "It is not surrender. The Federation knows well that if they use their weapons on us, it would also be their end. My purpose is to unite the twenty-four houses, in fulfillment of T'Kuvma's teachings. We are stronger as a unit. Look around you, Kor. With warriors such as these acting as one, are there any who would dare stand against the Klingon Empire?"

Kor glances between Koloth, Mara, and Kang. "No," he says. "I suppose not."

L'Rell clasps him by the arm and helps him climb achingly to his feet. "Tell your uncle Kol-Sha that I spared your life this day, as a gesture of goodwill to House Kor." She pulls his face close to hers. "Do not make me regret my decision, son of Rynar."

He eyes her. "Perhaps you are not completely without honour." Then he hobbles across the clearing to face Kang. "You fought well. Come to my manor sometime. I wish to show you my collection of ancient weaponry."

Kang narrows his eyes. "I will consider it."

Kor chuckles, then coughs violently and steadies himself on Kang's shoulder. He pulls out a hand-held communicator and barks, "_jol yIchu_'!"

As he dematerializes, L'Rell approaches Emony. "You will be returned to your people. Tell them the High Chancellor regrets what happened to your companions, and that the Klingon Empire has entered a period of consolidation and has no wish for conflict with the Trill. But make no mistake, if you provoke us, we will bring ruin upon you."

Emony blinks. "Okay."

"My torchbearer will arrange for your passage out of Klingon space." She gestures to the bearded human, who takes Emony aside.

"You're a human," she observes.

"It's a long story," the torchbearer replies, handing her a communicator. "There's a Starfleet ship that's just about to leave Qo'noS. Use this when you're ready to transport."

"There's a Starfleet ship _here_?" Emony asks. "Another long story?"

"Yeah, you could say that," he replies, smirking roguishly. 

She smiles. "Well, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Emony faces the other Klingons. "And thanks so much to all of you. You saved my life."

"_Qapla'_," Mara says, placing her hand on Emony's shoulder. Koloth nods at her as Kang says, "You have a Klingon spirit. Perhaps you will return someday. I could teach you the fundamentals of Klingon martial arts."

Emony smirks. "I don't think so. Not this lifetime."

Kang laughs and slaps her on the back. "I wish you well, then, Emony Dax."

"You too." She flips open the tricorder. "This is Dax. One to transport."

She waves at Kang, Koloth, and Mara as she dissolves.

Then she is in the transporter room on a Federation vessel. Two Starfleet officers stand before her, a human woman with short hair and dark skin, and a pale, spindly alien of a species she does not recognize.

"Greetings," the alien says. "I am Commander Saru. Welcome to the _U.S.S. Discovery_. We have agreed to give you passage to Earth; once there, you will be put in contact with the Trill embassy." Saru pauses. "I am afraid, given the nature of our mission, that I will have to restrict your access to the ship. And I will ask that you not discuss anything you see or hear on this ship with anyone."

She manages a tight-lipped smile. "Don't worry, commander. I'm quite happy to take a lift, no questions asked."

"Good." He gestures at the human. "Specialist Burnham will escort you to your quarters. Once we reach Earth, we will inform your government of your return."

"You have my thanks," she says. Saru nods, then turns and leaves the room, waving his long, thin arms behind him.

Burnham guides Emony out of the transporter room. "You look familiar," the human says. She peers at the design on Emony's chest. "Is that –"

"Oh. Yeah, that." Emony touches the design, and a tattoo in the shape of wings spreads to her shoulders.

"It's good work," Burnham says.

Emony casts her eyes downward. "I'm definitely going to get it removed. It, uh… well, it reminds me of friends I lost."

Burnham guides her through the corridors. A young woman with red hair jogs past, glancing at Emony with surprise and then quickly looking away.

"I must look like a complete mess," Emony says to Burnham.

"You had quite an ordeal," she replies. "But it's over now. Do you know what you'll do once we reach Earth?"

"Well, I've got a, um… a friend there. A human named Leonard McCoy. We didn't end things on the best of terms, but I'm sure he'll be willing to help me out. And then, I suppose I'll try to arrange passage back to Trill. I can only imagine the political shitstorm I'll be walking into."

"Can I ask what you were doing on Qo'noS?"

Emony rolls her eyes. "It was an athletic exchange. I knew it was a bad idea right from the start, but our current government is willing to do just about anything to gain favour with the Klingons, and I needed the money."

"Let your people know that the door is still open to Federation membership, if they're willing to come back to the table."

"I'll pass that along. But I don't think we're there yet – Trill society has a lot of problems."

Burnham regards her warmly. "We haven't solved all our problems in the Federation. We've just decided that it's better to try to solve them together." They stop in front of a set of doors. "These are your quarters. Unfortunately, you'll be restricted to them for the duration of this trip, but there's food, a shower, and clean clothes inside. If you need anything else, use the comm unit."

"That all sounds just fine. Thank you so much."

Burnham gives a curt nod. As Emony enters the doorway to the spare crew quarters, a klaxon sounds. "Black alert," says a voice. "Black alert."

Emony turns back to Burnham with a wry grin. "Not gonna ask."

"I'd say that's for the best," Burnham replies with the hint of a smile.

Then Emony steps inside the sparsely furnished room. She takes a nutritional bar from the table and unwraps it. As she takes a bite, she taps the design on her chest one more time and watches as the wing design expands to her shoulders.

"It is nice work," she mumbles, lying down on the bed.


End file.
